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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. degree — an amount
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bore — to drill
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — rain
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. degree — from a university
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com